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Year 11
AQA

The presentation of Black British experiences in Pinnock's 'Leave Taking'

I can explain how 'Leave Taking’ is a social commentary on Black British experiences.

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Year 11
AQA

The presentation of Black British experiences in Pinnock's 'Leave Taking'

I can explain how 'Leave Taking’ is a social commentary on Black British experiences.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Pinnock wrote 'Leave Taking’ to share the “distinct” Black British experience.
  2. The character of Enid speaks to the complex history and relationship Jamaica and Britain share.
  3. Arguably, both Viv and Del struggle in different ways with being a second generation Black British immigrant.
  4. Arguably, both Viv and Del struggle with being second generation immigrants and Black British citizens.
  5. Arguably, the ending of the play is ambiguous but hopeful for both the Del and Viv.

Keywords

  • Social commentary - a text which explores and critiques particular problems in society

  • Colonisation - when a country establishes control over another country, exploiting it for economic gain

  • Commonwealth - an international association of 56 independent countries many of which used to be British colonies

  • Transatlantic slave trade - whereby slave traders enslaved African people and transported them, often to America

  • Crown colony - a colony which was controlled by the British Crown with a governor representing the Crown in the colony

Common misconception

Viv, Del and Enid are not British citizens.

All three women are British citizens. Enid relocated from one part of the Commonwealth to another. During this post war period, this ensured legal status in Britain. Viv and Del were born in Britain.


To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: The presentation of Black British experiences in Pinnock's 'Leave Taking', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

The model in learning cycle 2 uses embedded quotations to include context. Consider how you can prepare them for this during learning cycle 1 when there is lots of contextual information which pupils might want to draw on when writing.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

You need access to Winsome Pinnock's 'Leave Taking' by Nick Hern Books.

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Contains strong language
  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the resolution for each character of 'Leave Taking' to their name.
Correct Answer:Enid,resolves her conflict with Del; expresses her vulnerability
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resolves her conflict with Del; expresses her vulnerability

Correct Answer:Del,becomes an obeah woman; prepares for the birth of her child
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becomes an obeah woman; prepares for the birth of her child

Correct Answer:Viv,is going to pursue Black Studies at university
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is going to pursue Black Studies at university

Correct Answer:Mai,finds out she has a terminal illness
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finds out she has a terminal illness

Q2.
In her introduction to 'Leave Taking', Pinnock discusses the heroine of the play. Who does Pinnock name as the heroine?
Mai
Del
Viv
Correct answer: Enid
Q3.
In Scene Four of 'Leave Taking', Enid recalls when she and her future husband were in Jamaica, preparing to migrate to England. How did they feel before migrating?
Correct answer: proud
despairing
hopeless
Correct answer: excited
Correct answer: optimistic
Q4.
In her introduction to 'Leave Taking', what words does Pinnock use to describe the feelings many migrants felt when they relocated to Britain post World War Two?
awe
security
Correct answer: shock
Correct answer: disappointment
patriotism
Q5.
In Scene Eight of 'Leave Taking', Enid turns to Del for support. She is overwhelmed by feelings of grief for her mother, and despair at Britain's hostility. She says, "I been too long, Del."
Correct Answer: fighting
Q6.
In Scene Eight of 'Leave Taking', Enid tells Del how she feels when she sees her daughters face racial discrimination: "it make me want to __________ the place down."
Correct Answer: tear

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
A pupil argues, "‘Leave Taking’ is a social __________ on the specific Black British experience."
Correct Answer: commentary
Q2.
A pupil was asked to describe the ending of the play 'Leave Taking' for the characters of Viv and Del. What words might they have used?
hostile
unknown
unhappy
hopeless
Correct answer: hopeful
Q3.
In 'Leave Taking's' intro, Pinnock says, "I wanted to make Enid the heroine of the play because I couldn’t recall ever seeing such a character - a hospital cleaner - as the lead in a __________ play."
Correct Answer: British
Q4.
When writing about 'Leave Taking', it is important to include context. Each of these words helps unpack and explore 'Leave Taking's' context. Match them to their definitions.
Correct Answer:social commentary,a text which explores and critiques particular problems in society
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a text which explores and critiques particular problems in society

Correct Answer:colonisation,when a country establishes control over another and exploits it
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when a country establishes control over another and exploits it

Correct Answer:Commonwealth,an association of 56 independent countries - many used to be colonies
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an association of 56 independent countries - many used to be colonies

Correct Answer:transatlantic slave trade,whereby slave traders enslaved African people and transported them
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whereby slave traders enslaved African people and transported them

Correct Answer:crown colony,a colony which was controlled by the British Crown
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a colony which was controlled by the British Crown

Q5.
In 'Leave Taking's' intro, Pinnock says, "I specifically wanted to write about the black British experience as __________from African American culture".
Correct Answer: distinct
Q6.
In 'Leave Taking's' intro, Pinnock says that producers often seemed to think Black British experiences and African American experiences were " ".
Correct Answer: interchangeable